Ars Technica cites an "insider" in announcing that POP3 access for Hotmail users has been activated in the US. Say hello to getting Hotmail into Gmail, non-Microsoft-made mail clients, and many other places.

Microsoft has been rolling out POP3 importing access to a number of countries since mid-January, including Canada, the U.K., most of western Europe, and elsewhere. The details you need to plug into your mail client or other webmail account, though, should be the same. Here's the list, as posted by the Windows Live team:

It goes without saying that Hotmail (excuse us, Windows Live Hotmail) is a bit behind the curve in offering up direct mail access to its customers, but its welcome news, nonetheless. Hotmail users might also notice integrated Windows Messenger sign-ins through a menu in the upper-right corner, providing chat capabilities while you're in your inbox.